On becoming an Aquanaut

At 7:35 a.m., I began my attempt at becoming an aquanaut. I felt prepared for what lay ahead of me. I knew the kind of people who were carefully watching over me. Just yesterday, I was one of those topside support people! I knew I was in good hands. I will admit I didn't sleep well the night before in anticipation of my 24-hour stint underwater, but, right now, nothing seemed to matter.

I entered the moonpool first so I could help Christopher Roosa (my aquanaut buddy) with his ingress. The first thing I noticed was there were no clothes to change into. The second thing I thought was, "Hey, where is my surface support diver?" Then I remembered they were so used to me doing transports topside, they probably thought I was bringing my own suitcase! I called up for instructions using the Station radio. They would send our clothes down immediately. With this minor hiccup out of the way, we were ready to begin.

After settling into the Station and stowing our gear, Joe Bishop (our Mission Commander) began our training. Afterward, it was time for us to temporarily relocate to the Marine Lab next door. Several visitors were expected, and it was better for us to free up the limited space in the Station and have lunch elsewhere. After lunch, Christopher and I decided it might be time to rest up and take a nap. We had both been going full speed for several days, and neither of us slept much the night before. I could not believe how calm and serene it all seemed and how relaxed I felt.

Before we knew it, we got the call to return to the Station again. That is where dinner and a movie awaited us. I had rented "Apollo 13" at the local video store at Christopher's suggestion. I thought it would be great to watch this movie with Stuart Roosa's son (Apollo 14 crew member)! It was! He gave Joe and me some great behind-the-scenes information and told us what it was like for the families during that time. It was especially neat because all three of us are the same age and have vivid memories of the Apollo program. Christopher's recollections were particularly interesting because of his position. What a great evening!

As the movie played, I couldn't help notice the progression of evening as darkness surrounded us. Fish were beginning to swim belly side to the Station because of the lights (a unique behavior). I knew I could always look up and see the small ripples on the surface from all the bubbling coming from the Station and Marine Lab. I also knew my coworkers (friends) were watching over me. I have to admit that before I departed the Station for the evening, I called topside to ensure we were, in fact, being monitored. Of course, Chris Olstad was right there reassuring me, as he brushed his teeth before bedtime, all was well with the world. Now my personal challenge began.

If you have read any of my other journals, you will discover I am not fond of night diving. I had to go into the inky blackness of the lagoon to enter Marine Lab for the evening. I knew that Christopher and Joe would get me there because they told me so! It may not be pretty, but they assured me they would get me there. (I wondered to myself how Joe would "wirebrush" my fingernail scratches out of the wet room!). I was again amazed at my sudden calmness as I slipped into the dark water. I had my flashlight in hand, the guys had theirs, and the area outside was lit up with every light we had on the Station plus the lights from the Lab. Joe was behind me and Christopher was right outside the Station. I felt like one or the other always had a hand on me, probably because they did!

The plan was that they would take me to Marine Lab and then Christopher would hang out with Joe while he did his 15-minute safety stop. It seems likes it was only seconds before I was done and found I didn't want to go right to Marine Lab which shocked the heck out of me! I wanted to see what there was to see! I did crawl up into the Lab long enough to call topside to tell them of my intentions, which shocked the heck out of Dennis too! He did respond that he could see all of our flashlight beacons and it looked like a circus! I kept looking for the guys and couldn't find them. I should have looked up sooner because there they were above me on top of the Station.

I have no idea how long I was out in the darkness, but I was still amazed at my calmness and was in awe of the experience. Christopher joined me shortly after that to retire for the night. Chris Olstad had brought me some marine specimens to look at under the microscope in the lab. The biology classes I took did again come in handy. Before I realized it, it was after 12:30 a.m. Christopher and I knew we were on the downhill slide to becoming aquanauts!

We were up before our wake-up call. I was surprised how fast the time had gone. I had brought some reading material I never had a chance to read. I had a personal feeling of accomplishment that I will probably never match again. I knew I could accomplish ANYTHING I put my mind to. I was an aquanaut! After a hearty breakfast of Cocoa Krispies and juice, we were ready to stow our gear and depart. I asked for someone to bring me my wetsuit because I chill easy and we have to deco for 15 minutes. (What can I say? I am a Floridian!).

We hit the surface hand-in-hand 24 hours and 45 minutes after the whole thing began. We were proud of ourselves, and I was touched to see all of my coworkers and my friends I had made on this project there to greet us. It was very emotional for me.

So now, I reflect back on that time spent in Key Largo with very fond memories as I write this journal. It seems long ago somehow, but it was just days ago. There are few times in a person's life/career that they feel their existence has been validated. Working on this project was it for me. When people ask me about my trip and support on this project, all I can do is give them a smile and tell them it was very successful. With a knowing nod, my coworkers from KSC know exactly what I mean.